Is my water adjustment process sound, or am I doing it wrong?

[DonnieZ]

Since the start of this brewing season, I've started adjusting my water taking the knowledge I've learned from "How to Brew", various podcasts on water adjustment, as well as information from the water calculator at Brewers Friend. I'm wanting to know if my process is sound or if I'm just still all wet...

I brew AG with a single vessel. I don't have a pH meter just yet, it's on my short list of purchases.

Here's my process:

1. Build recipe in Beersmith.

2. Get total water volume used for mash and sparge and buy that amount of distilled water.

3. Enter recipe and desired water profile into the calculator here: http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/. Edit salt additions to achieve desired water profile, enter grist information to get the estimated mash pH, and then edit the acid additions to achieve desired (estimated) mash pH.

3. Heat total volume of distilled water used for mash and sparge.

4. While water is heating, measure and add salts according to what I've worked out in step 3. Usually by the time the water is up to strike temperature, the water is back to being fairly clear after the salt additions have initially clouded the water.

5. Mash in, add lactic acid as per what I worked out in step 3, mash, vorlauf, collect first runnings into bucket, and then use the remainder of the water in the kettle to sparge to boil volume.

6. Complete brewing... Boil, chill, ferment, etc...
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I just want to make sure that if I'm going through all the trouble to adjust my water, I'm getting the most benefit. When using brewing salts, I avoid CaCO3 as I've read about it's insoluability in water.

My big concern is in taking the salt additions from Brewers Friend and adjusting the total volume of water all at once vs. adjusting just mash water and then adding some salts in the boil.

Any advice appreciated!

 

[mchrispen]

A couple of things that jump out...

1. I assume you know how to manipulate the mash profiles to set a desired water/grist ratio. It defaults to 1.25 qts/lb, which is fine, but you should be aware if you wish to mash thinner, resulting in more strike water and less sparge. The volumes (and concentrations) of ions are important to the estimations.

2. Focus on sulfate and chloride first, calcium second. You will deal with alkalinity using acids to determine the proper estimated mash pH. Do not add both alkalinity additions and acid to the mash - they counter each other.

3. Give priority to the acid additions (and mash pH), and the additions should be added to the strike water cold, before heating.

+1 on avoiding chalk for alkaline additions. Baking Soda or Pickling Lime is more soluble in water, and react more quickly.

If you want to check your work, Bru'n Water is a great alternative... and works from splitting the mineral additions between sparge and strike water.

Finally, remember that the mash is a dynamic chemical system that changes throughout the mash period. Mash pH provides observations of the reactions that release hydrogen and drive acidity, rapidly changing in the first 5 - 20 minutes of the mash. It is better to use mash pH observations to make changes in the next brew of the recipe than try to make a large pH change. By adding all of the minerals and acids into the liquor, they are thoroughly dissolved and available as the grist hydrates - and the conversion process begins.